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Management Tactic #17: Compliments

I have a simple lesson to teach on today’s blog: How to accept a compliment.

It’s rather simple. If someone gives you a compliment–at work, at home, on the field, wherever, whenever–all you have to say is this:

“Thank you.”

That’s it. Don’t deflect the compliment, don’t immediately compliment the other person, and for goodness sakes, don’t disagree. If anything, tag, “That’s really nice of you to say” on the end of it.

It’s human instinct to do all those things–for most, compliments aren’t easy to receive. For example, I recently complimented someone on their singing ability. That person’s response was, “Oh, well, I have a lot of training.” This wasn’t said in arrogance; rather, this was their attempt at deflection.

Bonus Point: If you want to make it a little easier for someone to accept your compliment, make it personal. Instead of saying, “That’s a pretty dress,” say, “I think that dress looks really good on you.” You’ve then made it personal for you and for them.